{"id":2557,"date":"2026-08-25T08:35:32","date_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:35:32","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=2557"},"modified":"2026-08-25T08:35:32","modified_gmt":"2026-08-25T08:35:32","slug":"global-ocean-temperatures-hit-record-high-as-el-nino-intensifies-climate-crisis-news","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/?p=2557","title":{"rendered":"Global ocean temperatures hit record high as El Nino intensifies | Climate Crisis News"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Copernicus warns of \u2018unprecedented strain\u2019 on world\u2019s oceans as El Nino and climate change drive up sea surface temperatures.<\/em><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

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Published On 25 Aug 2026<\/span>25 Aug 2026<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n

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The average global sea surface temperature has reached its highest level on record, a European Union agency said, warning that a rapidly intensifying<\/a> El Nino and human-caused climate change were putting \u201cunprecedented strain\u201d on the world\u2019s oceans.<\/p>\n

In a statement on Monday, the EU\u2019s Copernicus Climate Change Service said sea surface temperatures hit 21.1 degrees Celsius (69.98 degrees Fahrenheit) on Friday and Saturday, surpassing the previous record of 21.09C (69.96F) set in March 2024.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis record is another clear signal of an ocean under growing stress,\u201d said Samantha Burgess, the strategic lead for climate at the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF). \u201cEl Nino is adding heat to the system, but it is doing so on top of decades of human-driven warming.\u201d<\/p>\n

Copernicus called the timing of the new record \u201cparticularly notable\u201d. It\u00a0said global ocean temperatures usually peak in March and April, when the summer in the Southern Hemisphere \u2013 which is mostly ocean \u2013 draws to a close.<\/p>\n

But this year, the record was set in August.<\/p>\n

Burgess told The Associated Press news agency that the oceans will keep getting hotter until the current El Nino \u2013 a natural temporary warming of parts of the Pacific that then warps weather and raises temperatures globally \u2013 reaches its peak, which is expected sometime between November and January.<\/p>\n

The World Meteorological Organization, too, said it expects El Nino to strengthen in the coming months, and Copernicus said its seasonal forecasting system indicates that the event \u201ccould reach levels not seen for several decades\u201d.<\/p>\n

The added heat from El Nino comes as long-term fossil-fuel-driven warming has already raised ocean temperatures by 0.8C (1.44F), Burgess noted.<\/p>\n

Copernicus also warned that rising ocean temperatures have \u201cfar-reaching consequences\u201d for marine ecosystems and coastal communities.<\/p>\n

Warmer oceans contribute to sea-level rise through thermal expansion, it said, and increase the likelihood and intensity of marine heatwaves, which can damage coral reefs and seagrass beds. This can in turn disrupt food chains and threaten industries such as fishing and aquaculture.<\/p>\n

Warmer oceans are less able to absorb carbon dioxide, too, it said, weakening one of the planet\u2019s key defences against climate change.<\/p>\n

Higher ocean temperatures can also supply more heat and moisture to the atmosphere, enhancing the \u201cpotential for extreme weather events\u201d.<\/p>\n

Jane Lubchenco, an oceanographer and former head of the US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, called the finding \u201cvery troubling\u201d.<\/p>\n

\u201cAn ocean this warm destabilises weather patterns and threatens food security, economic prosperity and marine life,\u201d Lubchenco told the AP. \u201cA warmer ocean is not our friend.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/div>\n


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Copernicus warns of \u2018unprecedented strain\u2019 on world\u2019s oceans as El Nino and climate change drive up sea surface temperatures. Published On 25 Aug 202625 Aug 2026 The average global sea surface temperature has reached its highest level on record, a European Union agency said, warning that a rapidly intensifying El Nino and human-caused climate change…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"rop_custom_images_group":[],"rop_custom_messages_group":[],"rop_publish_now":"initial","rop_publish_now_accounts":{"facebook_2277560469115098_106292521332774":"","twitter_aToxNzczMzI3Njk4OTg4ODUxMjAxOw==_1773327698988851200":""},"rop_publish_now_history":[],"rop_publish_now_status":"pending","_monsterinsights_skip_tracking":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_active":false,"_monsterinsights_sitenote_note":"","_monsterinsights_sitenote_category":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[11],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-2557","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-international-news"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2557","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2557"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2557\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2557"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2557"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/sotnews.agency\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2557"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}